Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Elovskaja, L.
Right arrow Articles by Kovalevsky, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Elovskaja, L.
Right arrow Articles by Kovalevsky, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Ann. occup. Hyg., Vol. 46, No. suppl_1, pp. 115-117, 2002
© 2002 British Occupational Hygiene Society
Published by Oxford University Press

The Inadequacy of Describing Fibres by Counting Techniques

L. Elovskaja* and E. Kovalevsky

Research Institute of Occupational Health, Russian Academy of Medical Science 31 Prospect Budennogo, 105275 Moscow, Russia

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +7-095-366-05-83, +7-095-365-22-55; fax: +7-095-366-05-83; e-mail: izmerov{at}rinet.ru

The inadequacy of fibre-counting techniques is discussed based on scientific data and personal experience. The following aspects are considered: (i) only ‘respirable’ fibres are counted, but this is not enough; (ii) the fibres that are not considered ‘respirable’ (<5 µm) also possess biological activity; (iii) it is necessary to take into account characteristics of all fibres found in the breathing zone, but phase contrast optical microscopy (PCOM) techniques do not fit this purpose; (iv) as well as particle-size distribution and other characteristics of all fibres, it is important to know their mass; and (v) every PCOM technique is only an approximate indicator of the exposure to fibres.

fibres • asbestos • respirable and total dust • counting and gravimetrical measurements • biological activity • Russia


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.